O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
God, our Father and our Mother, we are glad to come before you. We offer you our praise, our doubts, our worries, this uncertain time. We know that you care for us intimately and you know how we feel right now. Come to us with your peace. Renew us with your love, call us to be people of hope, even in a place of confusion and uncertainty. Breathe your Holy Spirit into us to renew us out of darkness into the light of what you have planned for us. Help us to trust you.
We ask for your forgiveness when we forget you are there, when we try and face our problems alone, when our faith weakens because the world feels too tough, when we laugh at what feel like impossibilities, when we see nothing but bad news and we fall into despair. Come, O God, in Jesus, and help us to begin again.
Here is the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are forgiven. We can hope. We can start again! Thanks be to God.
We read a Psalm, remembering God is in the good and bad bits of life. Any Psalm can be read, Psalm 91 is suggested:
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.
This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God.
An Old Testament Reading is read. Isaiah 43: 1 - 13 is suggested but any can be used:
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4 Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
8 Bring out the blind people who have eyes,
And the deaf who have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered together,
And let the people be assembled.
Who among them can declare this,
And show us former things?
Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified;
Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.”
10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the Lord,
And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved,
I have proclaimed,
And there was no foreign god among you;
Therefore you are My witnesses,”
Says the Lord, “that I am God.
13 Indeed before the day was, I am He;
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;
I work, and who will reverse it?
This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God.
The Benedictus, a passage of assurance is shared:
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,
who has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets God promised of old
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,
To show mercy to our ancestors,
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of all their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke 1.68–79
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen
A time of quiet reflection - spend ten minutes in silence. Think about:
What God has said to you in the passages you’ve just read.
What things you have right now to say thank you for.
What is troubling you today.
What positive thing can you do to make today a good one.
A time of intercession.
After each bidding, please pray Come, Lord Jesus
Into this space, my life and the lives of those here with me or who I miss...
Into our country at this difficult time, especially those who are unwell, or lonely or frightened...
Into our government, our Prime Minister, and all those responsible for leading us in this uncertain time...
Into our hospitals and GP surgeries, into places that are trying to help, into communities where there is selfishness and a need to remember everyone matters...
Into the lives of those who will find this day impossible...
Into the broken spirits of those who have been bereaved...
Into our churches, dispersed for now but still one body called to care for all...
Come Lord Jesus, with your peace. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer is shared in whatever form we prefer.
A sending prayer into the day:
Go with us O God into the joys, opportunities, frustrations and unanswered questions of this day.
Go with us Lord Jesus, give us your light when we feel afraid today.
Go with us, Holy Spirit, remind us that today is not how it will always be and that we need to hold on. You give us enough to keep going.
The Lord is here! His Spirit with us. We go in peace. Amen.
T
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4 Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
8 Bring out the blind people who have eyes,
And the deaf who have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered together,
And let the people be assembled.
Who among them can declare this,
And show us former things?
Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified;
Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.”
10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the Lord,
And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved,
I have proclaimed,
And there was no foreign god among you;
Therefore you are My witnesses,”
Says the Lord, “that I am God.
13 Indeed before the day was, I am He;
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;
I work, and who will reverse it?
This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God.
The Benedictus, a passage of assurance is shared:
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,
who has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets God promised of old
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,
To show mercy to our ancestors,
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of all their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke 1.68–79
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen
A time of quiet reflection - spend ten minutes in silence. Think about:
What God has said to you in the passages you’ve just read.
What things you have right now to say thank you for.
What is troubling you today.
What positive thing can you do to make today a good one.
A time of intercession.
After each bidding, please pray Come, Lord Jesus
Into this space, my life and the lives of those here with me or who I miss...
Into our country at this difficult time, especially those who are unwell, or lonely or frightened...
Into our government, our Prime Minister, and all those responsible for leading us in this uncertain time...
Into our hospitals and GP surgeries, into places that are trying to help, into communities where there is selfishness and a need to remember everyone matters...
Into the lives of those who will find this day impossible...
Into the broken spirits of those who have been bereaved...
Into our churches, dispersed for now but still one body called to care for all...
Come Lord Jesus, with your peace. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer is shared in whatever form we prefer.
A sending prayer into the day:
Go with us O God into the joys, opportunities, frustrations and unanswered questions of this day.
Go with us Lord Jesus, give us your light when we feel afraid today.
Go with us, Holy Spirit, remind us that today is not how it will always be and that we need to hold on. You give us enough to keep going.
The Lord is here! His Spirit with us. We go in peace. Amen.
T
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