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Sunday Prayers @ Home – February 28 2021

February 23, 2021 By Rev. Dr. Sean Davidson

INTRODUCTION

Good morning everyone. Below you will find a service of Morning Prayer that includes readings, prayers, and music. We are living through unprecedented times, and there are many ongoing challenges, but we have an amazing opportunity to take up new practices of reading, singing, and praying in our own homes. We are not alone in this. God is in our midst, leading us through.

Instructions: If you are in a group, choose someone to lead (unbolded parts) and the rest will respond in unison (bolded parts). You may want to divide up responsibilities for the prayers and readings. Notice too that I’ve included music selections with lyrics. This is entirely optional, but if it suits you, please feel free to sing along. Many blessings in your time of worship. – Pastor Sean+

THE PENITENTIAL RITE

Seek the Lord while he wills to be found, call upon him when
he draws near; let the wicked forsake their ways, and the evil
ones their thoughts; and let them return to the Lord, and he
will have compassion, and to our God, for he will richly
pardon. Isaiah 55.6, 7

Let us confess our sins
against God and our neighbour.
 
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us,
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy upon us,
pardon and deliver us from all of our sins,
confirm and strengthen us in all goodness,
and keep us in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

OPENING SENTENCES

Lord, open our lips,
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

THE INVITATORY

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: O come, let us worship.

 O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you;
 my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
 as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.
 Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place,
 that I might behold your power and your glory.
 For your loving-kindness is better than life itself;
 my lips shall give you praise.
 For you have been my helper,
 and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.
 My soul clings to you;
 your right hand holds me fast. 

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: O come, let us worship.    

SONG – Holy Holy Holy (Audrey Assad)

 Holy holy holy
 Lord God Almighty
 Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee
 Holy holy, holy
 Merciful and mighty
 God in three Persons blessed Trinity
  
 Holy holy holy
 Tho’ the darkness hide Thee
 Tho’ the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see
 Only Thou are holy
 There is none beside Thee
 Perfect in pow’r in love in purity
  
 Holy holy holy
 Lord God Almighty
 All Thy works shall praise
 Thy name in earth and sky and sea
 Holy holy holy
 Merciful and mighty
 God in three Persons blessed Trinity   

THE PSALMS

PSALM 22:23-31

 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
     All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
     Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
 For he has not despised or scorned
     the suffering of the afflicted one;
 he has not hidden his face from him
     but has listened to his cry for help.
 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
     before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
     those who seek the Lord will praise him—
     may your hearts live forever!
 All the ends of the earth
     will remember and turn to the Lord,
 and all the families of the nations
     will bow down before him,
 for dominion belongs to the Lord
     and he rules over the nations.
 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
     all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
     those who cannot keep themselves alive.
 Posterity will serve him;
     future generations will be told about the Lord.
 They will proclaim his righteousness,
     declaring to a people yet unborn:
     He has done it!  

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now and will be for ever.
Amen.

THE PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD

FIRST READING

A reading from Genesis, chapter 17, beginning at verse 1.

 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
 3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
 15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” 
 
The word of the Lord. / Thanks be to God.

SECOND READING

A reading from Romans, chapter 4, beginning at verse 13.

13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.  

The Word of the Lord / Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL SONG – Come Ye Sinners (Nathan Drake)

 Come ye sinners poor and needy
 Weak and wounded sick and sore
 Jesus ready stands to save you
 Full of pity, love and pow'r
 I will arise and go to Jesus
 He will embrace me in His arms
 And in the arms of my dear Savior
 Oh there are ten thousand charms
  
 Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome
 God's free bounty glorify
 True belief and true repentance
 Every grace that brings you nigh
  
 Feel Him prostrate in the garden
 On the ground your Maker lies
 On the bloody tree, behold him
 Sinner, will this not suffice?    

GOSPEL READING

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Mark, chapter 8, beginning at verse 31. / Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”   

The Gospel of Christ. / Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

BIBLE STUDY FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SMALL GROUPS

Have a look at the questions below. They are deigned to help you make the most of the Gospel reading. There’s no need to answer every question. Draw on them as they seem helpful for your reflection and/or discussion. The hope by the end is that our reading and meditating will turn naturally to prayer.

READING

  • Return to the Gospel and read it again
  • What stands out for you? What are your impressions? Try to isolate a moment, image, theme, phrase or word that feels important. Write it down. Take some time to reflect. Give yourself freedom to wonder.

REFLECTING

  • Imagine yourself in the story. Look around. What can you see? What can you hear?  Who are the main characters? What do they look like? How do they sound?
  • Where is Jesus in the story? How do the other characters relate to him? Who do they think he is?
  • What is happening for you? What are you thinking and feeling? Where do you find yourself in the story? Which characters do you find easiest to relate to?
  • Read the Gospel again.
  • The word “Gospel” means “good news.” What makes this passage of scripture good news?

RESPONDING

  • We believe that God speaks into our lives and reveals himself to us through scripture. What could God be saying through our readings for this morning? How is he making himself known to you? 
  • God not only speaks and reveals himself, but he invites us to respond to him. Are there parts of our readings you’d like to turn back to God in prayer? Is there something you’d like to celebrate? Something to confess? Something to ask for? Something to rest in?
  • When you think about your life in connection with our readings is there something you’d like to start doing? Stop doing? Continue doing?

SONG – We Will Feast (Sandra McCracken)

 We will feast in the house of Zion
 We will sing with our hearts restored
 He has done great things we will say together
 We will feast and weep no more
  
 We will not be burned by the fire
 He is the Lord our God
 We are not consumed by the flood
 Upheld protected gathered up
  
 In the dark of night before the dawn
 My soul be not afraid
 For the promised morning oh how long
 Oh God of Jacob be my strength
  
 Every vow we’ve broken and betrayed
 You are the faithful one
 And from the garden to the grave
 Bind us together bring shalom 

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH

Let us confess our faith as we say,

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again
to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

INTERCESSIONS & THANKSGIVINGS

 Almighty God,
 give us grace to cast away the works of darkness,
 cleanse and deliver us from our sins,
 confirm and strengthen us in all goodness,
 and bring us into the way that leads to life;
 through him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.

For peace from on high and for our salvation,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For the peace of the whole world,
for the welfare of the holy Church of God,
and for the unity of all,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For archbishop David,
and for all clergy and people,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For Elizabeth our Queen,
for the leaders of the nations,
and for all in authority,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For this place where we live,
for every city and community,
and for those who live in them in faith,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For all who are affected by coronavirus,
through illness or isolation or anxiety,
that they may find relief and recovery,
let us pray to the Lord,
Lord, have mercy.

For our own needs and the needs of others,
for the lonely, the sick and the suffering … (we pray now for those in need, whether aloud or quietly in our own hearts ...)

Together we pray, Lord have mercy

Remembering all the saints,
we commit ourselves, one another,
and our whole life to Christ our God.
To thee, O Lord.

O Lord our God, 
you call us in the depths of our being: 
open our ears to your call, 
open our hearts to your love, 
open our minds to your will, 
that we may know you and give ourselves 
fully in your service, 
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

THE COLLECT

 Almighty God,
 whose Son was revealed in majesty
 before he suffered death upon the cross,
 give us faith to perceive his glory,
 that being strengthened by his grace
 we may be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;
 who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
 one God, now and for ever. Amen         

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Rejoicing in the presence of God here among us, let us pray with confidence as our Savior taught us,
 
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 who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

SONG – Lord I Need You (Matt Maher)

 Lord I come I confess
 Bowing here I find my rest
 And without You I fall apart
 You're the one that guides my heart
  
 Lord I need You oh I need You
 Ev'ry hour I need You
 My one defense my righteousness
 Oh God how I need You
  
 Where sin runs deep Your grace is more
 Where grace is found is where You are
 And where You are Lord I am free
 Holiness is Christ in me
 Where You are Lord I am free
 Holiness is Christ in me
  
 So teach my song to rise to You
 When temptation comes my way
 And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
 Jesus You're my hope and stay
 And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
 Jesus You're my hope and stay
  
 Lord I need You oh I need You
 Ev'ry hour I need You
 My one defense my righteousness
 Oh God how I need You
 My one defense my righteousness
 Oh God how I need You  

DISMISSAL

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, evermore. Amen.
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