Prayers – The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI – Online
January 30, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
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.
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Your light springs up for the righteous
and all the peoples have seen your glory.
Blessed are you, Sovereign God, king of the nations,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
your name is proclaimed in all the world.
As the Sun of Righteousness dawns in our hearts
anoint our lips with the seal of your Spirit
that we may witness to your gospel
and sing your praise in all the earth.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.
the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
Though night still covers the earth *
and darkness covers the nations,
over you will his glory appear.
Nations will stream to your light *
and kings to your dawning brightness.
day or night, they will never be shut.
They will call you, The City of the Lord, *
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
ruin or destruction within your borders;
you will name your walls, Salvation, *
you will call your gates, Praise.
no longer the moon give you light by night;
the Lord will be your eternal light; *
your God will be your glory.
A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke
Jesus began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, "Is not this Joseph's son?" He said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!' And you will say, 'Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.'" And he said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God
Called to a life of faith, hope, and love, let us pray for all who need justice, mercy and peace, saying: Hear our prayer.
For the Church, and especially for Linda our Primate, and Sandra our bishop, that we may live the gospel of love, justice and peace. And that we may be true to our commitment to truth and reconciliation with Indigenous people. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For this parish of St. Paul’s, that we who gather online will find a connection that will help us hear the Lord’s teaching and that we may find ways to fully respond to all that God asks of us. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For peace in all places and nations torn by conflict, and for world leaders with difficult decisions to make, that your Spirit will turn hearts from violence and open new ways to build and plant the seeds of peace, praying especially at this time for the people of Ukraine. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For all who desire renewal, that we may understand your divine mind and heart, and awaken new insights for Church and society, so that we work together addressing the trauma of poverty, prejudice and greed. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For healing and strength, that you will help us curb the transmission of the COVID-19, sustain all who care for the sick, and guide and strengthen all who work in health care professions. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For those who are ill at home or in the hospital, especially:
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And for those we may name out loud or in our hearts:
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that you will strengthen them with grace and compassion. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For those who have died in your peace, remembering especially:
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that they may live in your presence and that those who mourn will trust in your faithfulness. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
God of the prophets, hear our prayers for all people and put your words in our mouths and keep alive in us the courage to proclaim far and wide the good news of the kingdom, that the scripture may be fulfilled in us, and all people united in the power of your loving Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
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.
Let us pray,
Living God, in Christ you make all things new. Transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge; let me never be ashamed. In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; incline your ear to me and save me.
From my mother's womb you have been my strength.
Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe; you are my crag and my stronghold. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.
From my mother's womb you have been my strength.
For you are my hope, O Lord God, my confidence since I was young. I have been sustained by you ever since I was born; from my mother's womb you have been my strength; my praise shall be always of you.
From my mother's womb you have been my strength.
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.
May the God of all grace,
who called you to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus,
establish, strengthen and settle you in the faith;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
