Sunday Prayers @ Home – February 6, 2022

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 have a partner or are in a small 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+

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

Jesus Christ is the light of the world: 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.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world: O come, let us worship.    

SONG – How Can I Keep from Singing (Audrey Assad)

My life flows on in endless song;
above earth’s lamentation,
I catch the sweet, though far off hymn
that hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife,
I hear that music ringing.
It finds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing? 
What though my joys and comforts die?
The Lord my Savior liveth.
What though the darkness gather round?
Songs in the night he giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm
while to that Refuge clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
how can I keep from singing?
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
a fountain ever springing!
All things are mine since I am his!
How can I keep from singing?

THE PSALMS

PSALM 138

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
    and will praise your name
    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
    that it surpasses your fame.
When I called, you answered me;
    you greatly emboldened me.
May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,
    when they hear what you have decreed.
May they sing of the ways of the Lord,
    for the glory of the Lord is great.
Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
    though lofty, he sees them from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
    with your right hand you save me.
The Lord will vindicate me;
    your love, Lord, endures forever—
    do not abandon the works of your hands.
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 Isaiah, chapter 6, beginning at verse 4.

4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

The word of the Lord. / Thanks be to God.

SECOND READING

A reading from 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, beginning at verse 1.

1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

The Word of the Lord / Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL SONG – Be Still My Soul (Nathan Drake)

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in ev'ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heav'nly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
and all is darkened in the vale of tears,
then shall you better know his love, his heart,
who comes to soothe your sorrow and your fears.
Be still, my soul: your Jesus can repay
from his own fullness all he takes away.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hast'ning on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

GOSPEL READING

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Luke, chapter 5, beginning at verse 25. / Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ.

25 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

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 designed 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?  What other characters are present? 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?
• Read the Gospel again.
• The word “Gospel” means “good news.” What makes this passage of scripture good news?
• Return to the Gospel and read it again

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 – 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

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

Good and gracious God, your love is never-failing,
Your heart is open to us, your presence never leaves us;
Strengthen our faith, deepen our love for you 
and keep us in your ways; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord, 
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 
one God for ever. 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 ...

In our own parishes we pray especially for 
Kristen, Nick & Emery Hicks and Dorothy Howell
In our deanery, we pray for St. Luke’s at Gondola Point 
and the Rev. Robert Montgomery, 
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For all who are affected by the 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 … (silent prayer)

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

Merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen 

THE LORD’S PRAYER

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 – The Earth Shall Know (Porter’s Gate)

Let us come of one accord
To lift up praises to our King
There is splendor and power all around Him
And we will gather all together
Every nation tribe creed and color
Let the Body come alive
And our Creator be glorified
And the earth shall know God's name
And the earth will sing God's praise
All of the earth shall sing
The praise of our God of our God
Let us come of one accord
To see each other and our needs
When we gather there is power all around us
Power to live right power to be light
Over our cities and neighbors to speak life
Spirit give us eyes to see
Your perfect will for humanity
Heal the land meet the need
Set the captives free

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.