O sing to the Lord a new song:
sing to the Lord all the earth.
Psalm 96.1
Glory to God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.
A poem: Song of Creation
Bless the Lord all created things:
who is worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.
Bless the Lord all people of the earth:
who is worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.
O people of God bless the Lord:
bless the Lord you priests of the Lord,
Bless the Lord you servants of the Lord:
who is worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.
Bless the Lord all you of upright spirit:
bless the Lord you that are holy and humble in heart.
Bless the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit:
who is worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.
Song of the Three 35ff
The opening prayer
By night and by day we worship the Lord; let us pray with one heart and mind.
We remember God’s presence and pause in silence.
Father of lights, receive the prayer and praise we offer you as our daily sacrifice; make us a light for all the world, delivered by your goodness from all the works of darkness; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
The readings
Isaiah 26.7-9, 16-19
The way of the righteous is level;
O Just One, you make smooth the path of the righteous.
In the path of your judgements,
O LORD, we wait for you;
your name and your renown
are the soul’s desire.
My soul yearns for you in the night,
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgements are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
O LORD, in distress they sought you,
they poured out a prayer
when your chastening was on them.
Like a woman with child,
who writhes and cries out in her pangs
when she is near her time,
so were we because of you, O LORD;
we were with child, we writhed,
but we gave birth only to wind.
We have won no victories on earth,
and no one is born to inhabit the world.
Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise.
O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a radiant dew,
and the earth will give birth to those long dead.
Psalm 102.14-21
You will arise and have pity on Zion;
it is time to have mercy upon her; surely the time has come.
For your servants love her very stones
and feel compassion for her dust.
Then shall the nations fear your name, O Lord,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the Lord has built up Zion
and shown himself in glory;
When he has turned to the prayer of the destitute
and has not despised their plea.
This shall be written for those that come after,
and a people yet unborn shall praise the Lord.
For he has looked down from his holy height;
from the heavens he beheld the earth,
That he might hear the sighings of the prisoner
and set free those condemned to die;
Matthew 11.28-end
‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
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.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.
This week’s prayer:
O Lord, we beseech you
mercifully to receive the prayers of your people who call upon you,
and grant that they may both perceive and know
what things they ought to do,
and also may have grace and power
faithfully to fulfil them;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We thank God for what we have and pray for what we need.
Today we pray for ourselves, that God would help us understand and trust what we read in the Scriptures. In our local church, we ask God to help us grow in our faith, hope and love. In our world, we pray for people who work in our emergency services. We remember before God those who have asked for our prayers, or who are in need of them.
A prayer for the day
God of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: graft in our hearts the love of your name, increase in us true religion, nourish in us all goodness and, of your great mercy, keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord be with us
now and forever.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13.14