Morning Prayer
St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI
December 13, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.
Advent III
Welcome
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.
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;
let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever. Amen.
The
Lighting of the Advent Wreath – Joy
Let us pray,
Dear God, we pray for the joy that is found in Jesus, that those who seek it may truly find it. May we celebrate the joy found in You and share that joy so all may be guided by the Christ’s light shining in our hearts and in the world. Amen.
Song:
Candle Light, Sacred Light
Candle light, sacred light.
Mystery flames, burning bright
We are waiting for Jesus' new birth.
Shine his joy over all of the earth.
Thanks for the gift of joy, thanks for the gift of joy.
© Catherine MacDonald 2006 (full permission given to use with acknowledgement)
Pastor in United Church of Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia
The Collect of the Day
Let us pray,
God of power and mercy, you call us once again to celebrate the coming of your Son. Remove those things which hinder love of you, that when he comes, he may find us waiting in awe and wonder for him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Hymn 88: Come, Thou Long-expected Jesus
The Proclamation of the Word: The Gospel: John 1:6-8, 19-28
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No." Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal." This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon
Choir Anthem: Prepare the Way of the Lord
The Prayers of the People
In this Season of Advent, we pray for ourselves and the world, placing before you our hope, confident in your peace, mindful of your joy, basking in your love, saying, hear our prayer.
Let
us ask the Lord for a day of fulfilment and peace and to teach us to love
others as he has loved us. Let us ask the Lord for peace and mercy in the world
and to strengthen and relieve those who are in need. Let us ask the Lord to
renew the Church through the power of the life-giving Spirit. God of love:
Hear our prayer.
We are watchful at all
times, we pray for strength to stand with confidence before you, O God, our
Maker and Redeemer. Help us to live in the light of your coming and give us a longing
for your realm of justice and mercy. God of love:
We pray that you will
establish among the nations your rule of righteousness, come to your world as
King of nations, King of our hearts. We pray for Linda our Primate, Sandra our
Bishop. God of love:
We pray that we may seek
Christ in holy scriptures, know him in the breaking of the bread, recognize him
in one another. Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and distress,
and set us free to serve you forever. God of love:
We pray that
you will bind up the brokenhearted, restore the sick and raise up all who have
fallen, we pray for those we know who are ill at home or in the
hospital, remembering especially…
… and others we may name out loud, or in our hearts…
-
God of love:
Hear our prayer.
We pray that your light may dawn on all who
live in darkness and the shadow of death, and come to us as shepherd and
guardian of our souls. We remember those who have died in your peace and whose
faith is known to you alone, especially…
…that, with all the saints in light, we may shine forth as lights for the world, God of love:
Almighty God, as your blessed Son Jesus Christ first came
to seek and to save the lost; so may he come again to find in us the completion
of his redeeming work; for he is now alive and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
Confession and Absolution
Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
Silence is kept.
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 you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Announcements
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
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 for ever. Amen.
The doxology
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing
Be steadfast in faith, joyful in hope,
and untiring in love all the days of your life;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Hymn 108: Hark! A Herald Voice Is Sounding
The Scattering
May the God of hope
fill us with all joy and peace in believing
through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI
December 13, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.
Advent III
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 with one heart and mind.
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever. Amen.
Let us pray,
Dear God, we pray for the joy that is found in Jesus, that those who seek it may truly find it. May we celebrate the joy found in You and share that joy so all may be guided by the Christ’s light shining in our hearts and in the world. Amen.
Candle light, sacred light.
Mystery flames, burning bright
We are waiting for Jesus' new birth.
Shine his joy over all of the earth.
Thanks for the gift of joy, thanks for the gift of joy.
© Catherine MacDonald 2006 (full permission given to use with acknowledgement)
Pastor in United Church of Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia
The Collect of the Day
Let us pray,
God of power and mercy, you call us once again to celebrate the coming of your Son. Remove those things which hinder love of you, that when he comes, he may find us waiting in awe and wonder for him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No." Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal." This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
In this Season of Advent, we pray for ourselves and the world, placing before you our hope, confident in your peace, mindful of your joy, basking in your love, saying, hear our prayer.
Hear our prayer.
… and others we may name out loud, or in our hearts…
-
God of love:
Hear our prayer.
…that, with all the saints in light, we may shine forth as lights for the world, God of love:
Confession and Absolution
Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
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.
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
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 for ever. Amen.
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Be steadfast in faith, joyful in hope,
and untiring in love all the days of your life;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
May the God of hope
fill us with all joy and peace in believing
through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
