O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
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.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 84 (85) |
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| Our salvation is very near |
| You looked kindly, O Lord, on your land: you ended the captivity of Jacob. You forgave your people’s unrighteousness and covered over their sins. You reined back all of your anger and renounced your indignant fury. Rescue us, God, our saviour, and turn your anger away from us. Do not be angry for ever – or will you let your wrath last from one generation to the next? Surely you will turn round and give us life – so that your people can rejoice in you? Show us, Lord, your kindness and give us your salvation. I will listen to whatever the Lord God tells me, for he will speak peace to his people and his chosen ones, and to those who repent in their hearts. Truly his salvation is close to those who fear him, so that glory may dwell in our land. Kindness and faithfulness have met together, justice and peace have kissed. Faithfulness has sprung from the earth, and justice has looked down from heaven. Truly the Lord will give generously, and our land will be fruitful. Justice will walk before him and place its footsteps on his path. 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. |
| Canticle | Isaiah 26 |
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| Thanksgiving for victory | |
| The city is ours, with its walls and ramparts, a refuge and stronghold. Open the gates, let the just people enter, the nation that keeps faith. The agreement is made: you will keep peace, for peace is entrusted to you. Trust in the Lord for all ages, for the Lord is your strength for ever. The way of the just is straight; you smooth the straight path of the just. As we follow the path of your judgements, we put all our trust in you, Lord. Our soul’s one desire is your name and your memory. My soul longs for you at night, my desire for you leaves me breathless. When your judgements shine out on the earth – then the peoples of the world will know your justice. Lord, you will give us peace, for all you have done, you did for 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. |
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| Psalm 94 (95) |
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| A call to worship |
| Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us acclaim God our salvation. Let us come before him proclaiming our thanks, let us acclaim him with songs. For the Lord is a great God, a king above all gods. For he holds the depths of the earth in his hands, and the peaks of the mountains are his. For the sea is his: he made it; and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, bend the knee before the Lord who made us; for he himself is our God and we are his flock, the sheep that follow his hand. If only, today, you would listen to his voice: “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, on the day of Massah in the desert, when your fathers tested me – they put me to the test, although they had seen my works”. “For forty years they wearied me, that generation. I said: their hearts are wandering, they do not know my paths. I swore in my anger: they will never enter my place of rest”. 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. |
| Short reading | 1 John 4:14 - 15 © |
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| We ourselves saw and we testify that the Father sent his Son as saviour of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him, and he in God. | |
| Canticle | Benedictus |
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| The Messiah and his forerunner | |
| Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. 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. |
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| Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. |
| Almighty God, creator of a good and beautiful world, may we joyfully set out on this day in your name, and fill it with acts of love for you and our brethren. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life. |
| A M E N |
| Tuesday, January 29, 2008 Weekday |
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