May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound in hope.
Romans 15.13
Glory to God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.
A poem: A Song of Redemption
Christ is the image of the invisible God:
the first-born of all creation.
For in him all things were created:
in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.
All things were created through him and for him:
he is before all things
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the Church:
he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead.
For it pleased God that in him
all fullness should dwell:
and through him all things be reconciled to himself.
Colossians 1.15-20
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
Amos 2.6-10, 13-end
Thus says the LORD:
For three transgressions of Israel,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because they sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals –
they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth,
and push the afflicted out of the way;
father and son go in to the same girl,
so that my holy name is profaned;
they lay themselves down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge;
and in the house of their God they drink
wine bought with fines they imposed.
Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them,
whose height was like the height of cedars,
and who was as strong as oaks;
I destroyed his fruit above,
and his roots beneath.
Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt,
and led you for forty years in the wilderness,
to possess the land of the Amorite.
So, I will press you down in your place,
just as a cart presses down
when it is full of sheaves.
Flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong shall not retain their strength,
nor shall the mighty save their lives;
those who handle the bow shall not stand,
and those who are swift of foot shall not save themselves,
nor shall those who ride horses save their lives;
and those who are stout of heart among the mighty
shall flee away naked on that day,
says the LORD.
Psalm 50.16-23
But to the wicked, says God:
‘Why do you recite my statutes and take my covenant upon your lips,
Since you refuse to be disciplined
and have cast my words behind you?
When you saw a thief, you made friends with him
and you threw in your lot with adulterers.
You have loosed your lips for evil
and harnessed your tongue to deceit.
You sit and speak evil of your brother,
you slander your own mother’s son.
These things have you done, and should I keep silence?
Did you think that I am even such a one as yourself?
But no, I must reprove you,
and set before your eyes the things that you have done.
You that forget God, consider this well,
lest I tear you apart and there is none to deliver you.
Matthew 8.18-22
Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Another of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’
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 God,
who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son
to suffer death upon a cross,
and by his glorious resurrection
delivered us from the power of the enemy:
grant us so to die daily to sin
that we may evermore live with him
in the joy of his resurrection;
through the same 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 keep us strong in prayer. In our local church, we ask God to help us grow in our faith, hope and love. In our world, we pray for our brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their faith around the world. We remember before God those who have asked for our prayers, or who are in need of them.
A prayer for the day
O Lord our God,
grant us grace to desire you with our whole heart;
that so desiring, we may seek and find you;
and so finding, may love you;
and so loving, may hate those sins from which you have delivered us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
The Lord be with us
now and forever.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May the God of peace equip us with everything good so that we may do his will; and may he work in us that which is pleasing in his sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
see Hebrews 13.20-21