3/20/20

Morning Prayer - March 22, 2020


St. Paul’s Church
Charlottetown, PEI
Morning Prayer - the Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 22, 2020

Sentence
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
those who follow me will have the light of life.
John 8.12

The Gathering of the Community
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you all
      And also with you.

Let us pray.
We thank you, O God, that you have again brought us together to praise you for your goodness and to ask your blessing. Give us grace to see your hand in the week that is past, and your purpose in the week to come; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession and Absolution
Dear friends in Christ,
as we turn our hearts and minds
to worship almighty God,
let us confess our sins in penitence and faith,
firmly resolved to keep God’s commandments
and to live in love and peace with 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.

Merciful God,
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.

Psalm 23
1     The Lord is my shepherd; *
            I shall not be in want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures *
            and leads me beside still waters.
3     He revives my soul *
            and guides me along right pathways for his name’s sake.
4        Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
            I shall fear no evil; *
                        for you are with me;
            your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5        You spread a table before me in the presence of those
      who trouble me; *
            you have anointed my head with oil,
            and my cup is running over.
6     Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
      days of my life, *
            and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
      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 Holy Gospel
The Lord be with you.
      And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
      Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?" Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man." But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' Then I went and washed and received my sight." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know." They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened." He said, "He is a prophet." The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, "Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner." He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to be-come his disciples?" Then they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out. Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshipped him. Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind." Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains." 9:1-41
The Gospel of Christ.
      Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Sermon

Affirmation of Faith: Hear, O Israel
Hear, O Israel,
the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
This is the first and the great commandment.
The second is like it:
Love your neighbour as yourself.
There is no commandment greater than these.

Prayers of the People
God of wholeness and light, you have called us and made us children of light, hear us as we pray for all of your creation saying, Hear our prayer.

For the Church: especially for the Church of Masvingo; of the Virgin Islands; and of Gumbs Hpa-an (Myanmar); for the Diocese of Western Newfoundland; the Diocese of Montreal; the Assistant to the Bishop and the staff of the Manitoba – Northwestern Ontario Lutheran Synod; the people of the parish of the Anglican Churches of Pictou County; and Liscomb with Port Bickerton, in Nova Scotia: that we may work the works of God while it is day, bringing your light and hope to the world, God of love:
      Hear our prayer. 

For this parish family, that our Lenten observances may wake us from sleep and fill us with light to bring forth all that is good and right and true, In these days of crisis and uncertainty, we pray for the grace of trust and peace, God of love:
      Hear our prayer. 

For doctors, nurses, researchers and medical personnel that they may know God's presence and protection, for all in positions of leadership, that they may have the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of those they are meant to serve, God of love:
      Hear our prayer. 

We pray for those who struggle with adversity and sorrow, we pray especially for people we know who are ill at home or in the hospital…
-      
… and other we may name out loud or in our hearts…
-        
God of love:
      Hear our prayer. 

For all who are lonely, anxious or afraid, and for those in need of our prayers, that their hearts and souls may be revived by the Lord. For all those who have died, (remembering especially…), that they may dwell in the house of the Lord forever, God of love:
      Hear our prayer. 

Discerner of hearts, you look beneath our outward appearance and see your image in each of us. Banish in us the blindness that prevents us from recognizing truth, so we may see the world through your eyes and with the compassion of Jesus Christ who redeems us. Amen.

Prayer for a Pandemic 
(from St. Paul’s Church, Lexington, Ken., shared by the Primate, Archbishop Linda Nicholls)
May we who are merely inconvenienced
      Remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors
      Remember those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home
      Remember those who must choose between preserving their health
      or making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close,
      Remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips
      Remember those that have no safe place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market
      Remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home
      Remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country,
      Let us choose love.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other, let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbour. Amen.

Collect
Almighty God, through the waters of baptism your Son has made us children of light. May we ever walk in his light and show forth your glory in the world; 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
Gathering our prayers and praises into one,
let us pray as our Saviour taught us,
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.

Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

May the God of hope
fill us with all joy and peace in believing through
the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen